An ODI European Data and AI Policy Manifesto

2025 is a pivotal year for the future of Europe. As the world grapples with the transformative power of data and the AI it feeds, the EU can shape a future where these technologies and their applications benefit citizens. Yet inaction or overreaction risks harming citizens and society and leaving the continent’s economy behind its competitors.

As the EU seeks to harness AI's immense potential to drive economic growth and address societal challenges, it must do so in a manner that protects citizens' rights, ensures fairness, and maintains public trust.

This manifesto aims to support these efforts. It challenges all those in the European data ecosystem to leverage the Union's collective strength to pioneer a distinctly European, data-centric and people-centric model of AI development. It should balance innovation with responsibility, economic growth with societal well-being, and technological advancement with unwavering respect for human rights and European values.

In preparing this paper, we explored the EU regulatory and policy landscape and applied a principles-based approach to our EU policy recommendations. These principles were set out in the ODI’s five-year strategy, published in 2023. We launched a manifesto for data and AI policy in the UK in March 2024 (updated in September, following the UK general election in 2024). We have focused on similar topics in this European version.

Our perspective is informed by our interest in data and AI policy at an international level. While we are based outside the EU, we share many of the same aspirations, including fostering innovation, safeguarding fundamental rights, ensuring responsible data stewardship, and supporting the development of AI that serves society. In this spirit, we offer these perspectives to contribute to the ongoing conversation about effective implementation, fully respecting the EU’s sovereignty in shaping its regulatory and policy landscape.